I am starting a series on slips of paper found in books. Stay tuned.


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Growing up in Davis, California, the New York poets represented for me a sort of alternate universe. I did see Kenneth Koch read his poetry once, and had him sign some of his books, which I still have today. "Ko," "The Pleasures of Peace," and "The Art of Love." I told him, semi-incoherently, why I admired his poetry.

I saw a series of poets read in my high school/undergraduate days: Stephen Spender, Richard Eberhart, Adrienne Rich, Gwendolyn Brooks, Robert Bly, William Stafford, etc... I also saw Hillis Miller and Helen Vendler. Koch was the only New York school poet, and in fact the only one I have ever seen in person, which seems odd given my overwhelming devotion to these poets.